Looking forward to the comments on this one. BTW some of the comments at the YouTube site are priceless.

 

 

I'd love to fly one, but the Campaign Against Aviation won't allow it and I don't want to "fly" a paraglider or paramotor. We are a tiny congested island nation - too many people and too much commercial traffic..

A person would still need some training to fly despite not needing a licence, sorry that was my common sense talking for a minute there..😜

Edited June 16, 20205 yr by HighBypass
spelling

3 hours ago, HighBypass said:

A person would still need some training to fly despite not needing a licence, sorry that was my common sense talking for a minute there..😜

Most of the time that kind of polices itself. As you know, whilst technically there is no legal requirement to have a licence to fly a glider in the UK, in practice there are two defacto pilot licences you basically have to have (the Royal Aero Club FAI license and BGA Certificate) to fly, because no glider airfield in the UK would let you launch if you did not possess these and can show them if you tip up towing a glider trailer behind your car and nobody knows you, and you cannot realistically launch a glider on your own, so this prevents people from killing themselves and others. The same would be true for a powered aircraft in most cases.

Admittedly if someone turns up at an airfield towing an expensive aeroplane, there is often an assumption that they 'must know what they are doing', although whenever I am handling the flight line in such a situation, I do insist on seeing something to determine if the person proposing to fly knows what they are doing because I've seen people in the past who hadn't flown for a long time not take a check ride first, and it was apparent that they were rusty when you saw what they were like.

Theoretically I suppose if you were flying off an unregulated farm strip in the UK, there'd not be much stopping you from climbing in an aeroplane and going for it, but the comparatively small size of the UK means that once you got above about 400 feet you most likely be on at least one radar screen. Similarly, lots of people in the UK flout the law quite a bit when it comes to flying, especially with drones and RC aeroplanes. Responsible people do complete the BMFA and CAA tests to get the RCC, which isn't exactly a rocket science test, but I suspect many more do not even bother to do it and possibly don't even know it exists given that you can buy a drone or very large RC aeroplane off the intertron without anything stopping you.

I'm no more in favour of nanny state laws than most, but some regulation is clearly not a bad idea when it comes to large machines going overhead under the control of people who might be idiots.

Edited June 16, 20205 yr by Chock

No...........☺️

As the old saying goes: "You couldn't pay me enough"... 

US and EASA have very different takes on what ultralight is.

US: max One Seat. Empty weight 115kg and I don't think you are allowed into controlled airspace at all

EASA: max two Seats.  takeoff mass of 450kg (without chute or pontons). Class B ultralights looks almost the same as a small GA. Also need UL-A or UL-B license I believe.

Flying without training is not concept that appeals to me. At least basic weather and aerodynamics would be required.  Heck I took off from variable 4kts and landed on 15 knots gusting 25 a few hours later. I wouldnt want to deal with that at all in a home built UL kit. 

Just now, Rob_Ainscough said:

I've always wondered if there is such a thing as a truly quiet GA aircraft where a noise cancelling headset is not required?

Not familiar with the advances in electric power, but I would say the only quiet ones are those without an engine - gliders...😎 thus limiting flying adventures.